Human Test Subjects 2 (part 1)
by adkal
Summary: When the investigation of a series of murders resulted in the revelation of international manipulations, Clark Kent (Superman) and Bruce Wayne (Batman) try to find a way, or ways, to bring those responsible to justice...


'Evidence that can upheld in a court of law…' and therein lies the problem. There are too many gaps, too many things that can be considered 'circumstantial', and every day more and more innocent people are becoming unwitting test subjects. The things I can see, interpret, and understand cannot be presented in a court of law. The microscopic remains of cellular material that I could see in the wounds cannot be analysed by current technology without adversely affecting the evidence. The genetic manipulations and underlying heritage I could interpret would take months of analysis at the very least.

My powers and abilities, as fantastic as they are, cannot directly help in bringing the people who did this…who continue to do this…to justice.

* * *

Although yet to be confirmed, the rumour spreading throughout the pharmaceutical industry is that Wayne Industries is in the process of setting up or acquiring a pharmaceutical division for the development of cheap vaccines. The fact that Wayne Industries already has a large pharmaceutical division has not been forgotten by analysts and industry insiders, and the current rumour has caused a great deal of confusion. There is speculation that at least one start-up company could be acquired, and also that this acquisition would not be an American one.

'Over the past decade, there have been a number of companies that have now firmly established themselves in the vaccine industry, and, specifically, within the vaccine-regions Wayne Industries seems to be expressing a strong interest in,' said analyst Mahendra Sharma of the FT. 'For much the same period, Wayne Pharmaceuticals has focused on generic as well as exotic illnesses and diseases, leaving the treatment of TB, polio, and so forth to companies such as Stagg or LexCorp. Even relatively recently, Lucius Fox, CFO of Wayne Industries, had said that _'stepping on the toes of those doing good work is not something Wayne Industries is wont to do. We each have our place and role…'_, and this recent wave of rumours is raising a few eyebrows.'

* * *

_Justice._

_Plato, through the character Thrasymachus, argued that justice is the interest of the strong and that it's merely a name for what the powerful or cunning ruler has imposed on the people._

_The League has power._

_The League has cunning._

_The League, with its 'watchtower' on the moon, has imposed itself on the whole of humanity…and it is down to us to regain our strength and become, once more, the masters of our destiny._

* * *

Justice.

Five innocent children dead in Gotham.

There is a room…a vault…a…morgue…in Gotham that I hate. I hated it in Chicago and I hate it even more here. The room that stores the cold cases.

The murders of the fourteen are still fresh, but there is pressure coming down from the Governor to box them and leave them.

Injustice.

If there was evidence we could have used I know _he_ would have brought it to me by now.

I want to turn on the signal.

Those children had come here with the hope of a new and better life. They were all denied it.

Injustice.

* * *

Most of the eyes in the large room were focussed on his hands as they held the sides of the lectern. Many of those who had seen him in person before had seen him from a relatively short distance as they had sat in the General Assembly Hall. Of those who had seen him up close there was only a handful that had seen him 'in action'. It was these members who looked directly at him and had no fear. For many of the others, here, in the smaller hall, his presence gave them a cause for discomfort. Previously, he had always spoken in English. Today, he was repeatedly breaking 'protocol' by addressing some of those in attendance directly and in their own language.

He gave statistics and information. He outlined disturbing 'truths', potential dangers, and proposed alternatives.

He tried to encourage action and requested permission.

He gestured at the phoenix in the mural and painted a better world with his words.

He explained why the League had been so active on that day in the US.

He explained why Wonder Woman had created such a 'scene' in Washington.

He offered to show them the recovered footage of the murder of the young girl in San Francisco, and the recovered footage from Detroit. His offers were rejected.

He explained what he knew but could not prove in a way that would be acceptable and recognised.

'We thank you for bringing this to our attention, Superman.'

The meeting was adjourned.

* * *

_Extracts from an article by Clark Kent_

'They take our jobs.'

'They take our women.'

'They take our men.'

Three sentences which many of us in the US have heard with regards to immigrants and some of the various problems they bring with them. These concerns, however, are not solely US or Western – they are international. Whether you are in Indonesia or China or India or Saudi Arabia or South Africa, and so on, you will hear similar things.

Many of us have heard or read the words, '_Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free'_, but many are also now of the view that 'enough is enough'.

This position, however, is not solely a US one.

I've written about people trafficking on a number of occasions – it's a worldwide trade that affects almost every country in the world. Forced labour, sexual exploitation…ever wonder, even for a moment, about the Vietnamese lady doing your nails, or the cleaner in your office?

Recently Superman spoke to members of the UN in the Security Council Chamber. What he spoke about is considered classified, but, as a result of his recent actions in various parts of the world, there is speculation that he is trying to get the UN to be more proactive about trafficking.

The recent murders of teens and children here in Metropolis, young ones who were 'yearning to breathe free' drew brief and fearful attention before, to the dismay of this reporter, being dismissed with 'well, they were foreigners…' Is murder any less so when the ones murdered are not 'one of us'?

As far as the MPD is concerned, the murders are unsolved. Despite protests from Commissioner Henderson the case is no longer being investigated.

Fourteen were murdered here in Metropolis. Five were murdered in Gotham. Others were murdered in various cities across the US, and some were caught in the crossfire – wrong place, wrong time.

In DC, accusations of planting evidence and besmirching the good character of Senator Wren have been laid against Wonder Woman; the witness of one his child victims has been ridiculed and dismissed, all in less than a week after the incident. In Gotham, Ronaldo 'Ronald' Perez is suing the GCPD for false imprisonment, torture, and a slew of other actions, after a local reporter found him in a warehouse in soiled clothing. Here, in Metropolis, a newly formed 'action group' is lobbying to 'ground' Superman for his failure in protecting and/or saving the murdered fourteen.

Yesterday, fifty people were smuggled in to Metropolis.

* * *

The girl couldn't stop crying. She scrubbed furiously at her hands and fingers but the blood wouldn't come off. In the distance she could hear the roars of outrage.

'It's not my fault,' she whispered as her skin tore and bled. 'It's not my fault'.

Jean-Louis had been more and more aggressive in pursuing her. Her father had told him, repeatedly, that she was just a child, but Jean-Louis wouldn't listen.

'He tried to rape me,' she whispered.

'I'm sorry,' said a soft, deep voice. Startled, she scrambled back, her hands burning with pain as her exposed flesh met the air. She gasped in awe. In front of her, crouched in mid-air, was Superman.

'I'm sorry I let you down,' he said softly.


End file.
